Coconut fibre shoe

ABSTRACT

A coconut fibre shoe includes a shoe sole having a foot engaging upper surface and a ground engaging lower surface. The sole consists of strands of coconut fibre held in position by a binding agent which coats the coconut fibres leaving the upper surface roughened as a result of underlying coconut fibres. Air passages extend through the shoe sole to provide air circulation to the upper surface. A waterproof coating seals the lower surface of the shoe sole. An upper foot engaging portion is secured to the shoe sole for maintaining the shoe sole on a foot.

FIELD

There is described a shoe that is made from coconut fibre.

BACKGROUND

U.S. Pat. No. 7,785,521 (Chen) entitled “Method of manufacturing shoe outsoles from waste plant fibers” describes the use of waste plant fibres in the manufacture of shoes. Coconut fibres are listed as a type of waste plant fibre useful with the Chen method. There is described an alternative approach to making shoes out of coconut fibre.

SUMMARY

There is provided a coconut fibre shoe including a shoe sole having a foot engaging upper surface and a ground engaging lower surface. The sole consists of strands of coconut fibre held in position by a binding agent which coats the coconut fibres leaving the upper surface roughened as a result of underlying coconut fibres. Air passages extend from through the shoe sole to provide air circulation to the upper surface. A waterproof coating seals a lower surface of the shoe sole. An upper foot engaging portion is secured to the shoe sole for maintaining the shoe sole on a foot.

The upper surface of the above described coconut fibre shoe provides a non-slip surface, while serving to exfoliate and massage the foot. The air passages promote air circulation which keeps the foot comfortable, cool and dry; eliminating numerous problems associated with foot perspiration. There are further advantages which have been summarized in the description which follows.

If desired, the coconut fibre shoe can be made entirely biodegradable, by careful selection of binding agents and upper foot engaging portion.

The coconut fibre shoe can be made in a wide variety of shoe styles. This includes, but is not limited to, a spa shoe, a boat shoe, a massage shoe, a beach shoe, a home slipper, a flip flop, a sandal or a clog.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a coconut fibre shoe.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view, in section, of the coconut fibre shoe of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A coconut fibre shoe generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Structure and Relationship of Parts:

Referring to FIG. 1, coconut fibre shoe 10 has two main portions: a shoe sole 12 and an upper foot engaging portion 14. The style of upper foot engaging portion 14 will vary depending upon whether the shoe is a spa shoe, a boat shoe, a massage shoe, a beach shoe, a home slipper, a flip flop, a sandal, a clog or some other style of shoe. Referring to FIG. 2, shoe sole 12 has an upper surface 16 and a ground engaging lower surface 18. Shoe sole 12 consists of strands of coconut fibre 20 held in position by a binding agent 22. It is preferred that binding agent 22 is biodegradable. For early proto-types natural rubber was used for binding agent 22 with success.

In making early proto-types beneficial results were obtained by weaving coconut fibre 20, once coconut fibres were inter-woven to form shoe sole 12, they were adhered together with a spray on binding agent 22. This was used for upper foot engaging portion 14 and selected portions of shoe sole 12 where there was a need for reinforcement. If desired, all of shoe sole 12 can be made with inter-woven fibre for additional strength. The coconut fibres can be inter-woven in two ways. The first way is weaving the fibres together to form “ropes” which are embedded in shoe sole 12. These “ropes” have greater strength an individual fibres. The second way of weaving the fibres together is to from a “grid” of fibres that cross each other. The “grid” increases the structural integrity of shoe sole 12 and upper foot engaging portion 14. If fibres were aligned in only one direction, there would be undue reliance upon binding agent 22 to prevent failure. After having made and tested a number of coconut fibre shoes 10, it is now appreciated that weaving of the coconut fibre 20 is only required for extraordinary rugged intended uses. For most day to day applications, a light pressing of the coconut fibre mixed with a binding agent is sufficient to form a relatively durable shoe.

Referring to FIG. 2, binding agent 22 coats coconut fibres 20 leaving upper surface 16 roughened as a result of underlying coconut fibres 20. Referring to both FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the coating by binding agent 22 also leaves air passages 24 which extend from lower surface 18 to upper surface 16, thereby promoting air circulation. After having made and tested a number of coconut fibre shores 10, it is now appreciated that air circulation through shoe sole 12 remains critical. However, lower surface 18 is now treated with a waterproof resin layer 30, as it was determined that coconut fibres 20 otherwise tended to absorb water. This treatment was originally contemplated for only those shoes that were intended to be used in and around boats.

If there is concern about the durability of binding agent 22, stitching 26 can be placed on shoe sole 12 for additional reinforcement. It is preferred that the shoe stitching be a biodegradable thread such as; cotton, linen or hemp thread. Stitching 26 can be peripheral stitching that follows the shape of shoe sole 12, traces foot positioning or provides a decorative design element. In addition or in the alternative, stitching 26 may extend a length of or across shoe sole 12. Referring to FIG. 1, upper foot engaging portion 14 is secured to shoe sole 12 for maintaining shoe sole 12 on a foot (not shown). The means for securing is preferably peripheral stitching 28. As with stitching 26, biodegradable thread may be used. After having made and tested a number of coconut fibre shoes 10, it is now appreciated that stitching with biodegradable thread is not critical and most of the shoes currently being produced no longer have biodegradable thread.

It is preferred that upper foot engaging portion 14 be made from coconut fibre 20 covered with a thicker coating of binding agent 22, so as to avoid abrasion. The top of the human foot is more delicate that is the bottom of the human foot. For reason, the coating provided by binding agent 22 must be thick enough to provide comfort for the wearer. It will be appreciated that whatever binding agent 22 is used, that colour can be added. It is preferred that an environmentally friendly colouring agent be used, such as food colouring. Coconut fibres 20 can be obtained in a variety of shades. Where coconut fibres 20 are visible, this can contribute to the aesthetic appeal of shoe 10. Coconut fibres of differing colours can be inter-woven to further enhance the visual effect. After having made and tested a number of coconut shoes 10, it is now appreciated that thickening the binding agent is not the best solution to provide comfort to the wearer and avoid abrasion. The coconut fibres 20 forming upper foot engaging portion 14 are now covered in fabric. In many cases fabric alone has been used to form upper foot engaging portion 14.

Variations:

Coconut fibre has an insulating quality that makes it desirable for use for winter boots, rain boots, and boat shoes. In such applications, the breathability of the fibre can be a disadvantage. With boat shoes, it is preferred that the binding agent 22 is waterproof and applied in a thicker coating to lower surface 18 and a few inches up the shoe, sufficient to block air passages 24 to maintain the shoe as waterproof. The remainder of the boat shoe is left “breathable” to allow air circulation. With rubber boots that are intended to become submerged in water, the entire exterior must be rendered waterproof and only the in sole inserts left breathable. The above described insulating quality also makes coconut fibre desirable for summer use. The wearer is shielded from the heat of pavement by shoe sole 12. However, upper surface 16 does not trap heat from the foot as is the case with other materials and air circulation through shoe sole 12 assists in cooling the foot and reducing perspiration from the foot.

Advantages:

The above described shoe provides a number of advantages:

-   -   the roughened upper surface of the shoe sole has exfoliating         properties, which enables it to remove dead and callused skin         making the skin softer and less prone to foot problems related         to dead skin build-up;     -   the roughened upper surface of the shoe sole provides a gentle         massaging action;     -   the roughened upper surface helps prevent foot slippage relative         to the upper surface;     -   air circulation from the lower surface to the upper surface of         the sole reduces heat build up that causes the foot to perspire         and become a breeding ground for foot fungus;     -   air circulation creates an air insulation barrier which         insulates the foot, helping keep the foot warm on cold surfaces;     -   coconut fibre is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-microbial,         which helps prevent foot odour and foot ailments.     -   coconut fibre is salt water resistant for use near bodies of         salt water;     -   coconut fibre is also resistant to perspiration (which contains         salt);     -   coconut fibre creates a shoe that floats; and     -   coconut fibre shoe can be made entirely biodegradable, if         desired, through the careful selection of binding agents and         uppers that are biodegradable;     -   the coconut fibre shoe can be made in a wide variety of styles,         including: a spa shoe, a boat shoe, a massage shoe, a beach         shoe, a home slipper, a flip flop, a sandal or a clog;     -   coconut fibre has a low thermal conductivity, which provides an         insulating quality. It acts in a fashion similar to fibreglass         insulation. This makes it desirable for use in winter foot wear         or similar applications where retaining body warmth is of         importance.

In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.

The scope of the claims should not be limited by the illustrated embodiments set forth as examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A coconut fibre shoe, comprising: a shoe sole having a foot engaging upper surface and a ground engaging lower surface, the sole comprising strands of coconut fibre held in position by a binding agent which coats the coconut fibres leaving the upper surface roughened as a result of underlying coconut fibres and leaves air passages extending through the shoe sole to provide air circulation to the upper surface; a waterproof coating applied to the lower surface of the shoe sole; and an upper foot engaging portion secured to the shoe sole for maintaining the shoe sole on a foot.
 2. The coconut fibre shoe of claim 1, wherein the binding agent is biodegradable.
 3. The coconut fibre shoe of claim 1, wherein the binding agent is natural rubber.
 4. The coconut fibre shoe of claim 1, wherein the upper foot engaging portion is coconut fibre covered to avoid abrasion.
 5. The coconut fibre shoe of claim 1, wherein the binding agent is coloured by food colouring.
 6. The coconut fibre shoe of claim 1, wherein there is stitching reinforcement on the sole.
 7. The coconut fibre shoe of claim 1, wherein the upper foot engaging portion secured to the shoe sole by peripheral stitching.
 8. The coconut fibre shoe of claim 1, wherein the coconut fibre is inter-woven.
 9. The coconut fibre shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe is one of a spa shoe, a boat shoe, a massage shoe, a beach shoe, a home slipper, a flip flop, a sandal or a clog. 